Hidden genius: Black belly snake

As she entered the trial grounds, Tang Yue once again found herself in the familiar desert with an unusual turbulent river running through it.

However, the pressure and the oppressive force exerted by the sands of the desert and hot air swirling did little to nothing to her this time around.

She walked leisurely over to the river and dived into it without a second thought. 

Crossing the wild untamed river was also just as easy and in a jiffy she reached the center of the five pillars standing enigmatically amidst the river waters.

"Hissss… This better work." Tang Yue's long forked tongue flickered in and out as she settled her body in a cross-legged position at the center of the five pillars.

She could almost instantly feeling the mana and the elemental energy being churned out from the pillars, wave after wave assaulting her body with a nourishing energy.

"What a great cultivation resource…" Tang Yue sighed in amazement. 

Since her body had only recently gained an affinity to the other elementals, it absorbed the new energy like a hungry vortex, pulling in everything that it could.

Tang Yue was forced to use the full extent of her mental capabilities and her focus to try and control the integration of the different elements.

Though at first, the energy that she had absorbed was nourishing and intoxicating filling her entire body with strength and power, as time went by, her face slowly changed, revealing a pained expression.

Inside her body's cultivation center, there was almost a bloody battle raging on.

The five elements of the nature, clashed with each other and roared. Every element was formidable in its own right and it refused to coordinate with the others, declaring its own superiority. 

Tang Yue felt as if her entire body was being ground up from top to bottom. Every single one of her pores, and her meridians were being sliced by the rough turbulent energies.

However, the same energy once again healed her and sliced her again, this process repeating itself endlessly.

"Argghhh!" A maddened cry echoed from within the isolated training ground, but no one was there to hear it.

Just like a weapon required burning flame to be forged, her body was currently being forged through pain and destruction.

Tang Yue had no idea how much time she had spent in that miserable state, the worst part of which was to be still able to hold her mind steady despite all the searing pain.

In the end, she only managed to progress a bit in her cultivation, when she was kicked out once again as she had lost her consciousness.

Mmm… Mmm… She stirred awake after about an hour. "Little snake, are you alright?" The old man immediately floated over to her and asked, worry written on his face.

He was not a stranger to the trials personally set up by Empress Medusa herself and knew exactly just how difficult they were.

Moreover, the difficulty of the trial changed according to the will of the individual. 

And considering Tang Yue's steeled will power, he didn't want to imagine the tribulation she was undergoing.

He might have been harsh to her often, but could he not develop a soft spot for the girl especially when she was the spitting image of the Empress whom he worshiped.

"Little snake. Don't push yourself too much. Focus on your strong points, not weak points." He sighed.

Tang Yue, however, wiped the small beads of blood trickling down the edge of her lips and chuckled. "This is nothing. I am not done yet."

She had a crazed look in her eyes which for a second stunned the old man ghost.

"Master, tell me… Balancing and cultivating the five elements together gives one immense power and strength right?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, that is indeed correct but it will delay your progress a lot and it will put a strain on your mental energy. Your body might not even be able to handle it."

Tang Yue chuckled. "Heh… leave that aside… What about throwing a few more elements into that mix?" Her long forked tongue flickered in and out as a devilish glint appeared in her eyes.

The old man was instantly stunned. He looked at Tang Yue with a blank expression in his already dead and lifeless eyes.

As the two of them looked at each other, an eerie silence filled the air. 

Only a single minute passed but it felt like an eternity, when the old ghost finally opened his mouth and muttered, not hiding the gravity of his tone. "No. Yue. You absolutely must not. That's suicide."

"Aha ha ha. And why must I not?" Tang Yue cocked her head to the side and asked, crossing her leg and resting her hand on her knee arrogantly.

"Little snake, have you gone crazy from the pain?"

"No, Master. On the contrary, my mind has never been more clear."

She then stood up and stretched her limbs before once again rummaging her spatial ring.

This time she took out a bunch of big round black balls, which on closer inspection were slaughtered spider torsos.

"Dark tyrant spiders? Little snake, think about this first." The old man sighed and tried to reason, but Tang Yue had already started to chomp down the beast meat one by one.

Before long, crisp notifications appeared in front of her.

Ding. 100% Dark Tyrant Spider bloodline absorbed

Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated

Right in front of the old man, Tang Yue's body lifted up, floating above the ground, her serpentine figure twisting and turning into various contortions.

Unlike before, this time a strong putrid dark aura covered her body as the evolution process triggered once again.

Ding. Congratulations. Bloodline Evolution completed.

Ding. Congratulations. 5000 Experience points have been rewarded.

Ding. Congratulations. New Skill obtained.

Ding. [Higher Darkness affinity] - Passive skill; Able to manipulate mana into high-grade dark energy.

Tang Yue flashed her eyes open, once again stepping into the trial grounds. She felt a surge of strong hunger and thirst coursing within her body.